BushCo Misjudges Putin

McClatchy ran a story about the steadily worsening relations between Russia and the US. Back in 2001 George II looked into Putins eyes and saw his soul. At the time I wondered about that sort of reasoning, nothing in Putin's background created such an impression on me as his eyes did George. If the Secret Service were to actually allow such a thing and George got to look into my eyes he'd read anger and disgust, but then, I'm not a KGB case officer. In the grand scheme of things looking into my eyes would probably have a less detrimental effect on world affairs. Now given the man's background I would expect a couple of things, nationalism, authoritarianism, a distrust of the West, and an ability to dissemble.

Given nationalism, a KGB officer for pete's sake, and the position of head of state I would expect that not only would the security concerns of Russia come foremost, but also its perception as a powerful state. Couple that with a distrust of the West, we are talking about the KGB, I'd think it was a particularly stupid idea to poke a stick at the bear. The stick being anti-missile missiles near their border, that stick being a particular stupid poking mechanism since it isn't even proven technology. I don't think it is exactly far fetched thinking to see a nation that was an empire a short while ago as rather sensitive to developments within its former colonies, particularly developments fostered by its previous 'enemy' and biggest competitor for global influence. Here's the really scary part, Condi is supposed to be an expert on Russia. Former NSA head and now Sec State couldn't see this coming - Putin doesn't like the anti-missile missile idea, not at all, and he's hot. (for public consumption)

BushCo has had some idea that Russia could be useful, and it probably could - given that its interests coincided with ours -but unless those interests were very compelling, security and nationalism are going to trump. That the influential neo-cons in the Admin didn't apply their rationales to Russia's agendas is astonishing, it seems they only applied to US interests. I'm beginning to run out of a supply of disgust for these people's ability to project their wishful thinking onto reality. They were going to be "creating reality" while the rest of us were stuck on what's actually there and the word for that kind of thinking is wishful.

I may be slightly blinded by my complete disrespect for these people so I'll ask this, "what exactly have they done that worked out?"

Now they can scarcely be blamed for Russia being Russian, but they certainly might have paid attention to that fact. I won't go into the Iraq, flowers, and oil paying for it thing; beyond, "Really?" "Heck of a job" still looks like an entire mess. I wouldn't go asking anybody below upper middle class how this economy is working out. South America seems to be brimming over with pals of the US. OK, the rich have gotten a lot richer and their corporate cronies are raking it in, but I don't remember that as "public" policy.

These people are making us less secure - economically, militarily, and politically and it is starting to reach the point of dangerous. If Iran is supposed to be such a big threat then why is it that we are poking the outside government with the most influence. Another fourteen months of this may be a stretch.

Litvinenko Charges

According to ABC the British Crown Prosecution Service is readying charges for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. Andrei Lugovoi, and possibly also Dimitri Kovtun are expected to be accused of poisoning Litvinenko with Polonium-210, Lugovoi had tea with him the day he was poisoned and the investigators found a contaminated teapot at the Millennium Hotel. Logovoi is a former Russian secret service bodyguard whom the Russians have indicated they will not extradite.

Litvinenko was not among the most savory of people and his associations and activities no doubt led to his demise. At the same time the levels of corruption and autocracy within Russia leave one with a particularly odd smell in the nose. Putin does little to diminish this view. I suppose it pays to remember that GWB looked into his eyes...

Curiouser and Curiouser

Alexander Litvenenko lived a strange and dangerous life as an investigator for FSB and died even more strangely of radiation poisoning, an as yet unsolved murder in Britain. He had investigated the attempted assasination of post-Soviet oligarch Boris Berezovsky and organized crime. He had, while in Russia, accused the agency of being used for criminal purposes. Lately in England he had been investigating the assasination of journalist journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a critic of Putin.

In October of 2000 after fleeing Russia he attempted to get help from the US embassy in Ankera, Turkey and nobody wanted to deal with the renegade FSB colonel. At about this point in time there was heightened law enforcement interest in the Russian Mafia. After he received official asylum in Britain the French, British, and Americans were apparently disinterested. It seems curious nobody cared.

It seems difficult to question the current Russian slide into authoritarianism or the bad effects of Russian organized crime internationally and yet nobody seemed very interested in Litvenenko. It is true that by now his hands on information was aged and it is certainly possible that he was not the stellar example of whistle-blower integrity, but that has not been publicly or authoritatively asserted. What is known are that radiation traces of the poison are all over the place, that it is increasingly dangerous to be a critic of the Russian government, and that Russia is looking like much less of a friend to the US, despite GWB having looked into Putin's eyes. I can't connect the dots, but Alice sure had it right, "Curiouser and curiouser."